ClamAV: A Workable Linux Anti-Virus Scanner

Yes, Linux has virus scanners. Internet consultant A. Lizard tells you why you need one — to protect yourself and to protect Windows users to whom you send e-mail. You’ll also learn how to use a good Linux AV program called ClamAV and install it in a Debian environment.

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While Linux AV is unfashionable, I’ve used it for years. While purists
will say that it’s unnecessary due to the separation between user and
admin accounts in Linux, I see this as merely raising the barrier for malware
entry. There was a time when running an AV on DOS or the original MacOS was seen
as a sign of paranoia.

The other point of running a Linux AV is so when you pass along file
attachments collected online to Windows-using associates, you aren't
passing along any virus contamination found in the original documents.

Other Linux AV programs include:

AVG: It's a nice GUI, but I never could get the update
AV database feature to work.

avast!: I just discovered this recently. It's not
available via repository, but binaries can be found at the
avast! website.

Installation

Installation and use of ClamAV is not recommended for Ubuntu; the most
current AV and database versions for ClamAV are in the Debian-Volatile
repositories, which are incompatible with Ubuntu due to different dependencies.
Ubuntu users might want to look at avast!.